Here's a "picture of the picture." A picture of this painting is on page 20 of Frank H. Stewart's History of the First United States Mint, but it's a B&W photo. It's also on the original dust jacket of the Quarterman reprint of that book.



This picture is neat, but it is historically inaccurate. The 1792 half dimes were all minted during one day in July, I think it was the 17th. That same month the government purchased the land where the first U.S. mint was built. Therefore there was no mint building and the coins could not have been made there. The best guess was that they were produced in the workshop of John Harper under the supervision of Thomas Jefferson, who was the secretary of state. Although Alexander Hamilton was the secretary of the treasury, Jefferson was responsible for the mint.

Note that there is a sketch on the wall of the Ms. Liberty that appeared on the obverse of the half disme.

I believe that I saw this painting at the Philadelphia, in the early 1980s behind the display of "the 1792 coin press" (which the Gallery Mint folks say is a planchet cutter). There is or was a reproduction of it on an outside wall of the Philadelphia Mint that faces toward Independence Hall.


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Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. Email: billsnotes@tampabay.rr.com

Edited: Monday April 12, 2004 at 1:42 PM by BillJones

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